death certificate

noun

: an official document that gives information about a person's death (such as when and how the death happened)

Examples of death certificate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Other causes of death listed on his death certificate include sepsis and cystitis. —Marina Watts, People.com, 26 June 2025

Wilson died June 11 reportedly of respiratory arrest, according to his death certificate obtained and published Thursday by TMZ. —Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2025

The editing of the finale’s closing sequence at least invited a correlation between Jimmy’s unspoken discovery regarding Parker’s mother’s death certificate and the discovery of Roman’s dead body. —Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 5 May 2025

Francis suffered from a stroke and heart failure, Vatican doctor Andrea Arcangeli said in a death certificate released last week, Reuters reported. —Sudiksha Kochi, USA Today, 1 May 2025

Legal Definition

death certificate

noun

: a document setting forth information (as age, occupation, and place of birth) relating to a dead person and including a doctor's certification of the cause of death

Note: Death certificates are issued by a particular public official, as a city or town clerk. A death certificate is required to document a person's death for certain purposes, as to file an estate tax return or to probate an estate.